View full sizeJennifer Brown/The Star-LedgerSeven New Jersey residents have contracted Salmonella from contact with small turtles, not pictured here, some of which were sold illegally at street fairs in Hispanic neighborhoods, health officials announced.

But health officials say stay away from the turtles — particularly those sold as pets at street fairs. They have infected seven North Jersey residents and 149 nationwide with Salmonella since last August.

The outbreak is slow-moving, like the lumbering amphibians themselves. The first wave of Salmonella was reported last August, and the most recent case was reported in May, according to an announcement today from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The seven New Jersey cases were reported in Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties from September 2011 through April, according to Donna Leusner, a spokeswoman for state Department of Health.

Nearly three-quarters of the 149 people sickened in 29 states said they had been exposed to turtles, according to the CDC; nearly all said they had contact with turtles with a shell no longer than four inches, and one-third of those patients reported the turtles had come from street vendors, primarily in Hispanic neighborhoods.

Salmonella is a bacterial infection that causes diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps, and according to the CDC, recovery takes about a week. While outbreaks are usually associated with poorly washed vegetables or food that comes into contact with fecal matter, health officials say turtles are infamous culprits.

"Small turtles are a well-known source of human Salmonella infections, especially among young children," according to the statement. "Because of this risk, the Food and Drug Administration has banned the sale and distribution of these turtles as pets since 1975."

New Jersey also prohibits the sale of turtles. But according to an announcement released today by the Hunterdon County Health Department and written by the state and the CDC, the health commissioner may allow the purchase of larger turtles if they are sold for research, "other zoological purposes" or as food.

State officials say reptiles and amphibians should not be kept in homes with children under 5, elderly people or those with weakened immune systems.